1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a folding device, in particular, a folding device with glass panes, comprised of wings having peripheral metal profiles filled preferably with glass panes and a peripheral frame usually comprised of metal profiles, for room dividers or room closures to be opened and closed as needed, for example, for sunrooms, business entrances, balcony enclosures or the like. The folding device comprises a series of wings connected to one another to form at least one wing chain, wherein the wings, for opening the device, are folded against one another, wherein each wing is pivotably connected to a neighboring wing within the wing chain and is slidably guided with one side, respectively, by means of guide elements in guide rails or is secured on lateral frames in a non-slidable but pivotable way. At least one wing is an opening wing being connected only with one side to a neighboring wing and having a free wing edge on the opposite side that is guided in the guide rail.
2. Description of the Related Art
In principle, such folding devices have one or several pivotable and slidably connected wing chains so that a large front of a building or a room divider can be opened almost completely. Within the wing chain, each wing is pivotably connected to the neighboring wing but is guided slidably only with one side in the guide rails. The outer wings of a wing chain are either configured as opening wings, having one side without connection to another neighboring wing, or are secured pivotably and usually non-slidable on a lateral frame. When the opening wing is an individual wing, it can be configured simply as a rotary wing wherein the side connected to the neighboring wing is guided in the guide rails while the free wing edge is pivoted out of the plane which is formed by the guide rails and the lateral frame.
On the other hand, when the opening wing of the folding devices of the aforementioned kind is part of a double wing, i.e., a wing of a wing pair, its free edge must be guided in the guide rail. Because of construction prerequisites, the folding or pivot axes of the guide elements, provided for guiding the wings in the guide rails, must be arranged symmetrically between two neighboring, pivotably connected wings within the wing chain. Because the hinge parts required for the function of the device are arranged between the wings, in the closed state of the folding device a gap is formed which is closed by seals in order to fulfill the requirements with respect to draft prevention and heat insulation. When the guide element is arranged on the free wing edge of the opening wing, the guide element is positioned at the same spacing to the wing edge as in the arrangement within the wing chain and thus projects past the free wing edge. In order to enable a smooth end toward the neighboring wing or frame, generally a post is connected so as to be slidable to the free wing edge of this opening wing, the so-called pair end member, wherein the post remains in the frame plane defined between the guide rails. It represents essentially an additional wing which is reduced simply to the frame width.
Since the described folding devices are mostly embodied as folding devices with glass panes, a transparency as large as possible is desired, i.e., the view obstructing portion of the folding device caused by the frames and profiles should be as minimal as possible. However, the posts which have been used in the past increase the view obstructing portion of the vertical profiles at this location; this is not desired by architects and planners as well as consumers and users. In particular, when two opening wings of wing pairs meet one another, the view obstructing portion is undesirably large because of the two additional posts.